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Food 4 Keiki

Food 4 Keiki is working to nourish the future of our community by providing food and support for Hawaiʻi’s children, teens and their families.
Healthy food is essential to help keiki learn, grow, play and reach their full potential. Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s Food 4 Keiki programs partner with schools and community organizations throughout the school year and during extended school breaks to ensure that children and teens in our community have the food they need to thrive every day of the year.

Nourishing Our Keiki

In Hawaiʻi, nearly 1 in 3 keiki may not know where they will get their next meal. For more than 80,000 keiki in Hawaiʻi, getting the energy they need to learn and grow can be a daily challenge. Nourishing keiki who are facing hunger is about more than simply giving them food. It’s about setting them up for success and helping them reach their full potential. That’s why Hawaiʻi Foodbank has developed Food 4 Keiki — a group of programs that aims to provide nutritious food to improve our keiki’s health and well-being.

At Hawaiʻi Foodbank, our mission is to nourish our ʻohana today while we work to end hunger tomorrow. Every day, we work with local partners, volunteers, and supporters to provide nutritious food to families, keiki, kūpuna, and individuals across Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. Our programs are designed to meet the unique needs of our diverse communities, promote food security, and foster hope for a brighter tomorrow.

School Programs
Summer Meals
FOOD 4 KEIKI

School Programs

Hawaiʻi Foodbank supports programs on campus that provide food, support and hope for keiki and their families across Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. Food 4 Keiki’s school programs serve as a critical resource for students of all ages — providing opportunities to enjoy healthy snacks during the day as well as take food home to their families.

School Pantry

School Pantry Locations
Child and Adult Care Food Program

Questions

School Pantry

School Pantries provide nutritious snacks for students during school hours, along with food for students and families to take home. School pantries provide a variety of foods for families including fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, canned proteins, ready-to-eat meals, and dry goods. By providing access to nutritious food and empowering students and families to make informed choices, the School Pantry program is not only addressing hunger but also fostering healthy eating habits and promoting overall well-being among Hawaiʻi’s keiki and ‘ōpio.
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Food 4 Keiki School Pantry

Program Development on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi

Program Development on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi

Since the opening of the first School Pantry on Oʻahu in May 2018, our School Pantry program expanded to 58 sites on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi in 2025. The program distributed over a million pounds of food to more than 92,000 children and their families last 2024.

SCHOOL PANTRY LOCATIONS

Oʻahu
  • 'Aiea Elementary School
  • Ala Wai Elementary School
  • James Campbell High School
  • James B. Castle High School
  • Sanford B. Dole Middle School
  • W.R. Farrington High School
  • Hau'ula Elementary School
  • Ka Waihona o ka Na'auao Public Charter School
  • Ka'ala Elementary School
  • Kahuku Elementary School
  • Kailua Elementary School
  • Kailua High School
  • Princess Victoria Ka'iulani Elementary School
  • Kalihi Elementary School
  • Kamaile Academy Public Charter School
  • Kapolei High School
  • Ke'elikōlani Middle School
  • S.W. King Intermediate School
  • Kīpapa Elementary School
  • Lāʻie Elementary School
  • Leihōkū Elementary School
  • Linapuni Elementary School
  • Māʻili Elementary School
  • Mākaha Elementary School
  • Nānāikapono Elementary School
  • Nānākuli Elementary School
  • Nānākuli High and Intermediate School
  • Olomana School
  • Palolo Elementary School
  • Pearl City High School
  • Blanche Pope Elementary School
  • Wahiawā Elementary School
  • Wahiawā Middle School
  • Waiāhole Elementary School
  • Wai'anae Elementary School
  • Wai'anae High School
  • Wai'anae Intermediate School
  • Waimānalo Elementary and Intermediate School
  • Waipahu Elementary School
  • Waipahu High School
Kauaʻi
  • Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle
  • ʻEleʻele Elementary
  • Hanalei Elementary
  • Kalāheo Elementary
  • Kanuikapono Charter
  • Kapa’a Elementary
  • Kapa’a High
  • Kapaa Middle
  • Kauai High
  • Kawaikini P.C School
  • Kekaha Elementary
  • Kilauea Elementary
  • King Kaumualii Elementary
  • Kōloa Elementary
  • Waimea Canyon Middle
  • Waimea High School
  • Wilcox Elementary School
  • Niihau High and Elementary

Child and Adult Care Food Program

In 2024, Hawaiʻi Foodbank launched the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a USDA program administered locally by HIDOE. CACFP serves nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children in participating programs. Hawaiʻi Foodbank is a sponsor of the At-Risk Afterschool Meals component of CACFP, which serves meals to children in low-income areas. Students attending an eligible afterschool program receive a shelf-stable meal kit each weekday after school. Each meal kit consists of protein, fruit, vegetables, whole grains and milk. CACFP helps children develop healthy eating habits early in life by introducing them to new foods that meet a meal pattern approved by the USDA.
FOOD 4 KEIKI

SUMMER MEALS

Nearly 60% of students enrolled in public and charter schools are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. These meals are a vital resource for those who may not have enough food at home. For families and children facing hunger, summer can mean up to 90 days without school meals — and, too often, that can mean worrying about where their next meal is coming from. Hawaiʻi Foodbank works with community partners to fill the gap and provide access to nutritious food in convenient neighborhood sites such as libraries, parks and community centers.

Kaukau 4 Keiki

Distribution Locations

SUN Meals

Feeding Our Future

Questions

KAUKAU 4 KEIKI

In partnership with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education’s (HIDOE) Hawaiʻi Child Nutrition Programs, Kaukau 4 Keiki is a summer meal box program that provides nutritious meals to children across Hawaiʻi during the summer break. Kaukau 4 Keiki provides keiki with nutritious meal boxes filled with groceries to prepare seven days of breakfast and lunch for one child — including shelf-stable fruits and vegetables, proteins, starches, milk, fresh produce, bread and more.

Kaukau 4 Keiki is available in rural communities where students may not be able to get to a summer meal location each day for breakfast and lunch.

%

Nearly 1 in 3 keiki in Hawaiʻi are food insecure

%

Enrolled DOE students eligible for free or reduced-price meals

%

In households with children, food insecurity among adults

Distribution Locations

Eligibility Requirements:
  • Keiki must be 18 or younger (or up to 22 years old with a disability and enrolled in a HIDOE school). Each eligible child in your household must be registered to receive food.
  • Families must reside in one of the following ZIP codes: 96706, 96707, 96717, 96744, 96786 and 96795.
  • Families in the following ZIP codes may be eligible but must provide documentation to show proof of need (Meal Benefits Form or documentation showing participation in DHS benefits): 96730, 96731 and 96762.
Distribution Sites
  • Hūnānāniho Beach Park – Waimānalo
  • Kualoa Ranch
  • Kokololio Beach Park
  • Hawaiʻi Carpenters’ Training Center
  • Wahiawā Freshwater State Recreation Area
  • 360 ʻEwa Country Club

“I personally am filled with appreciation for being part of this summer program, which benefited my own ʻohana tremendously. the food came in handy as, some days, we were out of EBT benefits and no longer getting meals from summer school. On those days, it was so beneficial to be able to pop open a box and be able to feed my kids those nutritious meals.”
— Dawn, Kaukau 4 Keiki participant

Sun Meals

Many students in Hawaiʻi rely on free breakfast and lunch as a primary source of nutritious food during the school year. However, not all schools are able to continue these meal programs during the summer due to staffing, logistical and funding challenges. In partnership with the HIDOE’S Hawaiʻi Child Nutrition Programs, Hawaiʻi Foodbank provides breakfast, lunch and snacks to children during the summer break SUN Meals, also known as the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Each weekday, children receive a nutritious shelf-stable meal consisting of protein, fruit, vegetables, whole grains and milk. Meals and snacks are made available to any child who visits a participating meal distribution site, regardless of if they are enrolled in a summer program. These summer meals help students focus on their summer learning and stay healthy during the school break.

Feeding Our Future

During the summer break, students typically do not have access to school meals that are available to them throughout the school year. This results in an increased risk of food insecurity during the summer months. Feeding Our Future provides students enrolled in summer programs with nutritious meals during the summer break. Students typically receive a daily hot lunch consisting of protein, grains, vegetables, fruit and milk. Cold meals such as sandwiches are provided to students on days when they have field trips. Feeding Our Future is vital in reducing food insecurity among children of low-income families and ensuring they continue to have access to nutritious food during the summer break.

Questions about Food 4 Keiki?

For more information on Food 4 Keiki and its programs, contact Laura Zysman, Director of Keiki Nutrition, at laura@hawaiifoodbank.org or 808-954-7885.